Dive Brief:

• Some members of Instacart’s personal shopper army say that changes in tipping policies and delivery fees they receive from the grocery delivery company have resulted in lower payouts,according to a Consumerist report.

• One personal shopper told The Consumerist thatInstacartlowered the rates that she is paid for both full service shopping and delivery-only orders — a change she was notified about recently in a noteInstacartsent to its shoppers about its dynamic rate policy.

• Instacartsaid its rates will continue to evolve and change, but that it posts rates for shoppers in advance, with those rates differing by geographic zone and day, enabling shoppers to plan their own work schedules accordingly if they want to make more money.

Dive Insight:

Instacart个人消费者一直不开心for a while now — or is it just a very vocal minority? That's whatInstacartwould have you think. A few months ago, the company quicklyreversed a move to eliminate online tippingafter a lot of complaints from both shoppers and customers, though made clear it was really because customer wanted the ability to tip as part of the online purchase process.

Now, some shoppers are saying even the decision to reinstate tipping has hurt them becauseInstacartalso kept a delivery fee structure in place, with the combination of the two supposedly confusing customers about whether or not they are supposed to tip, or how much.

正如我们之前已经注意到的,Instacarthas been very restless with its business model, making a lot of tweaksaffecting its shopper workforce, and experimenting withdifferent delivery and pickup approachesin the span of less than a year. Meanwhile, a multitude of companies, include Amazon,Google,Costco and Sam's Club, are edging into its market. This competition, along witha concept like Amazon Go(which actually could bring people back to shopping for groceries in person in highly automated stores) seems like it could make life difficult forInstacart.

Ultimately,Instacartwill need to settle on an approach that encourages positive vibes and productivity among its shoppers, and presents its customers with clarity and reliability.